J/70 Lake Champlain Tour(Burlington, Vermont)- Jeff Hill in Vermont says- "things are going very well on Lake Champlain with J/70 #16! We trailered the boat to the LCYC to ramp launch the boat. Although the lake level is already low, she floated off easily and lowering the keel in place for the first time was a breeze!
We've been out for several test sails, and one long "shake down" cruise with very gusty winds into the high 20's, so getting to know the boat better. Photo is us planing in moderate breeze- we're having a lot of fun! The girls love it, too!"
FYI - the boat is displayed this Friday evening (7/13) at the annual "Boat Tour" at the Lake Champlain Yacht Club. Contact Jeff Hill (jeff@brucehillyachtsales.com)
J/109 North Americans Preview(Newport, RI)- The second half of the Rolex New York YC Race Week features the J/109 North Americans. With eighteen J/109s signed up so far, the turnout has only been exceeded at the class’s inaugural North American championship in 2006, when 19 boats competed.
“Race Week at Newport is a high profile event where race management is very good and the venue and racing area is truly spectacular,” said Rick Lyall, the 2009 J/109 North American champion, explaining that counting this 2012 championship, the J/109 Class will have held its North Americans at Race Week four times.
Lyall also noted that his STORM team will face stiff competition from three-time and defending North American Champion Ted Herlihy (South Dartmouth, Mass.), who will be skippering GUT FEELING, and Bill Sweetser (Annapolis, Md.), who has won the East Coast Championship three times aboard RUSH.
“Donald Filipelli (Amagansett, N.Y.) aboard CAMINOS has also been a very tough competitor the last few years. It's always a battle between the four of us for the podium,” said Lyall. “After that, who do we pay attention to? Everybody!"
“Winning a major regatta takes a lot of preparation for the boat and crew and a reasonable amount of luck. Even when you've done everything you can to have everything on the boat in order--a perfect bottom, new sails and a highly experienced crew-- it all can fall apart with one bad break. A bad start, a foul, an unlucky wind shift or even abandonment of a race where you are doing well can all make the difference between winning and finishing down the ranks. You can control preparation, but being lucky is an intangible.” At the conclusion of Race Week, Rolex timepieces will be awarded for the J/109 North American Champion! For more J/109 North Americans sailing information
J/80s Sailing Copa del Rey(Palma Mallorca, Spain)- The 30th edition of the famous Copa Del Rey Audi Mapfre regatta again promises world-class competition in Spain and the Mediterranean. And, continuing to be one of the pre-eminent classes at this prestigious gathering of sailors from around the world will be the J/80 International Class. For sailors in Europe, the J/80s have become the breeding ground for top international competitors. In Spain, in particular, World, Olympic and European champions from many classes are tested routinely in local and regional competitions.
For this year's edition of Copa del Rey, top teams will be participating from Spain, Germany, United Kingdom and Italy. The UK representative is John Horn sailing BALTIC ROPES/J-SAILING for the Royal Yachting Association. From Italy, it will be veteran campaigners Massimo Rama on JENIALE! racing for YC Chiavari. The German teams will be represented by the Segelkameradschaft Das Wappen von Bremen sailing from Bremen, Germany. Then, Spain is showing up with an armada of recent and past World Champions and national champions, including 2012 World's Champ Jose Maria van der Ploeg sailing NIFILSK/ GREAT SAILING. Also, in attendance will be NEXTEL ENGINEERING sailed by past World Champ Ignacio Camino and past Copa del Rey champion MAPFRE will be sailed by the Martinez/ Barrionuevo team-- yes, the same Martinez family that saw Iker race the Volvo 70 TELEFONICA in the 2012 Volvo Race. The racing promises to be extremely competitive across the board. For more Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre sailing information
Whidbey Island Race Week Preview(Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, Washington)- For a regatta that's renowned as an "adult play-ground", it's not too hard to imagine why so many teams return year-on-year to enjoy the many pleasures (both visual and otherwise) of these spectacular islands in the Pacific Northwest. Good weather. Bad weather. It's always fun and frolic no matter what the conditions. And lots of good sailing in between it all. While many in other parts of the sailing world wonder why those who thrive in yellow foulies (classic NW sailing gear) love to sail there, those "in the know" recognize they have some of the BEST SUSHI in the world! Enough said. Plus, the camaraderie is off-the-charts fabulous! Does sailing matter? Sure, amongst friends it does! And, that's what keeps them coming back for more despite the vicissitudes of Mother Nature. Here's the score.
PHRF 1 looks to be a slew of assassins looking to make a score. Chief amongst them with a bit of luck will be the J/111 ADALGISA sailed by Lynn Adkins. In the Super 30 Fleet, the infamously fast J/90 EYE EYE skippered by Dave Cohen will be hoping to make their mark on this remarkably fast and agile class. PHRF 2 could easily be dominated by the 35 foot J/Class. Starting with a rash of J/109s, expect to see Adam Korbin's ASTRAL PLANE and Joe James' TANTIVITY in the mix. Plus, the J/35s GRACE E sailed by Bryan White and BERGEN VIKING steered by Svein Ellingsen may be factors to contend with.Down the track in PHRF 3, the J/29s will most certainly make their presence felt amongst the leaders. Look for Rick McVey's NO NAME, Bob Mayfield/ Pat Nelson's SLICk and Pat Denney's HERE & NOW to provide good racing against the J/33 CORVO sailed by Tom Kerr and the rest of their fleet.
The J/105s one-design fleet has top teams returning, included amongst the half-dozen boats are past winner ALLEGRO VIVACE sailed by Lorenzo Migliorini from CYC, Jim Geros' LAST TANGO and FREE BOWL OF SOUP sailed by the three musketeers (Doug Schenk, Eric Hopper and Matt Davis) all hailing from CYC Portland, Oregon.
PHRF 4 will be an interesting fleet of boats that includes three J/80s and one new J/70. The J/80 teams include Steve Moe's CRAZY IVAN from Corinthian YC, Bill Mckinnon's SKYE ROCKET and Dave Schutte's TAJ MAHAL also from CYC. The new J/70 DA SPENCER is being sailed by Mike Pitt from CYC, too.
PHRF 5- J/30 FOR SAIL skippered by Grady Morgan from Corinthian YC. PHRF 6 has the J/24 LUCKY JIM with Jim McAlpine sailing amongst a raft of other 24-25 foot boats. For more Whidbey Island Race Week sailing information
J/Classes Sailing Bacardi Newport(Newport, RI)- 2012 marks the first year that Bacardi Brands are supporting the SailNewport Regatta as primary sponsors. It promises to be another banner year for the event with 200+ boats participating, with 49 J/Teams participating representing about 25% of the total fleet in J/22, J/24, J/80 and J/105 classes. The weather forecast looks promising for some great racing both in Narragansett Bay as well as offshore for the bigger one-design fleets.
The J/22s are going to have an incredibly competitive fleet, with Rochester's ring leaders factoring into the overall scheme of things. Mark & Cory Sertl call both Newport (Jamestown) and Rochester as "home base" and will be tough competitors due to their "local knowledge" from hundreds of beer-can races in Jamestown YC's Tuesday evening races. Not to be outdone will be Chris Doyle on US 1649, a top notch competitor on a world-class level.
Sailing in the J/24s, not surprisingly enough, are enough World, National and Regional Champions that one could not possibly predict any outcomes other than the fact that all will be competitive and it could be the "Old Man of the Sea" that clobbers them all! On that note, it's wonderful to see Tony Parker on his BANGOR PACKET continuing to have fun in the middle of an American Presidential election year (ask him why in the beer tent after sailing)! Never underestimate this wily old fox, having made some Melges 24 World Champions and J/24 World Champions in the past wonder why they ever tangled with him in the first place! Certain to give Tony a run for the money will be some young bucks like Will Welles, Tim Healey, Travis Odenbach, Mike Ingham and Matt Herbster, amongst others-- their collective pedigree as champions are undeniable!J/80 world also sees a few ring leaders amongst the core of the fleet. A combination of world-class sailors are distributed across the fleet and there's no telling how it will all end up in the final tally as all have proven in various Worlds, Key Wests and North Americans to play or win at the top of the heap in various classes. Chief amongst the top teams will be Bruno Pasquinelli from Houston, Texas; Brian Keane from Buzzards Bay, MA (multiple J/105 Key West Champion); and some tough "Newport locals" like Andrew Burton, Chris Bulger and Jeff Johnstone.
The J/105s may have one of the most competitive J/Fleets rolling. With past champion 105 sailors participating like Nelson Weiderman, Joerg Esdorn and Duncan Hennes on KINCSEM, Kevin Grainger on GUMPTION3 and Damian Emery on ECLIPSE, it simply means the battle lines will be drawn early and fast amongst the leaderboard in this trio of gunfighters. For more Bacardi Newport Sailing information
J/24s Sailing Rolex Ilhabela Week(Ilhabela, Brazil)- Some J/24 teams are looking forward to yet another spectacular week sailing in one of the world's more beautiful and exotic islands off the coast of Brazil. The Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week is considered the largest in Latin America and the numbers prove it. There are 150 boats between the major classes of ocean and more than 1,400 sailors from three countries - Brazil, Chile and Argentina - and nine states - Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Parana, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Espirito Santo, Brasilia, Minas Gerais and Bahia.
Hosted by YC Ilhabela, the teams start the event off with their biggest challenge, a race of 55nm on a spectacular route back and forth to the island of Alcatrazes. The race for Eldorado Alcatrazes will be played with winds ranging from 8 to 25 knots towards the south and predominantly temperature below 20 degrees C, i.e. the boats competing in the largest ocean sailing competition in Latin America will have rough seas and medium to strong wind. "The boats will go upwind to Alcatrazes. This makes sailing more difficult. The race is always a different adventure, since most conditions are not repeated year to year. Every sailor who runs the race gains from that experience," said meteorologist John Hackerott.Certain to be factors in the ORC 700 Class will be two well-sailed J/24s with top Brazilian teams leading the charge. The J/24 CALA will be sailed by Gabriel Coussilas and J/24 PROZAK will be skippered by Marcio Finamore. For more Rolex Ilhabela sailing information
J/Sailing News
The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide
All somewhat quiet on the Western front, as they say, for the start of July. With America celebrating Independence Day on the July 4th weekend, not too many regattas are planned that would conflict with family get togethers on the first significant summer vacation event-- everyone packs up their station wagons, family trucksters and minivans loaded to the gills with canoes, paddle boards, food and drink ready to fire-up the "barbie" and watch ginormous fireworks displays around the country. Nevertheless, several notable events took place (or are starting this week) in Europe, the UK and the Americas. On the European side, not only is the famous Copa del Rey starting in Palma Mallorca, Spain but the J/105s concluded their first J/105 EuroCup in Yarmouth, England. In the Americas, the Bacardi SailNewport Regatta is underway with J/22s, J/24s, J/80s and J/105s. Further east a J/133 and J/35 are sailing in the Halifax- St Pierre Race, a race to a "rock" off Newfoundland in the North Atlantic. South of the Equator, the Brazilians J/24 sailors are celebrating and enjoying their annual Rolex Ilhabela Race week on a gorgeous island off the coast of southern Brazil. Flip-flopping to the far northwest, Whidbey Island Race week is about to start north of Seattle's beautiful Puget Sound, while a J/145 is rapidly flying down enormous Pacific swells towards Hawaii in their bid to take overall Vic-Maui Race honors!Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it or upload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.
Regatta & Show Schedules:
Jul 7-13- CORK Week- Cork, Ireland- http://www.corkweek.ie/Jul 14- Bayview-Mackinac Race- Port Huron, MI- http://www.bycmack.com/
Jul 14-21- Copa del Rey- Palma Mallorca, Spain- http://www.regatacopadelrey.com/
Jul 14-22- Rolex New York YC Race Week- Newport, RI- http://www.nyyc.org/
Jul 15-20- Whidbey Island Race Week- Oak Harbor, WA- http://www.whidbeyislandraceweek.com/
Jul 21- Chicago-Mackinac Race- Chicago, IL- http://www.cycracetomackinac.com/
Jul 21- Lake Ontario 300- Port Credit, ONT- http://www.lo300.org/
Jul 26-28- J/Cup- Southampton, England- Royal Southampton YC
For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.
KING LOUIE Rules J/105 EuroCup(Yarmouth, Isle of Wight, England)- The second part of the two event EuroCup (Round Island Race and the Yarmouth Regatta) proved yet again the J/105 class in the United Kingdom is doing well and, most importantly, that the J/105 teams are having a lot of fun sailing their boats. The Yarmouth Regatta was won by Malcolm Thorpe's KING LOUIE from the host club the Royal Solent Yacht Club. KING LOUIE narrowly edged-out William Newon in JELLY BABY from Lymington Sailing Club for the overall prize, thus being honored as the 2012 EuroCup Champion by virtue of having finished as 2nd J/105 in the Round Island Race.
Chris Jones, who sailed aboard Malcolm's KING LOUIE, provided an excellent regatta summary. "The plans for 2012 J/105 sailing season were formulated and influenced when we had such a great time racing in the 2011 Taittinger Regatta hosted by Royal Solent Yacht Club. Although dates for everyone are complicated in this London Olympic year, we were excited to return to Yarmouth this time for a dedicated J/105 event.
We have several new members of the J/105 class this year, and whilst those that were too battered from the Round the Island race were missed, the arrival of NIELSEN REDEYE and VOADOR enhanced the competition and added to the momentum revitalizing our J/105 class for the future.
The J/105 was the first of the production bowsprit - asymmetric racing boats in the world and has proved a brave and worthy yacht for many challenges since its conception over 20 years ago. Although it has an unparalleled history in short-handed offshore racing in recent times (most notably, the VOADOR first-class performance in the 2012 RORC Myth of Malham), racing against other identical boats where first across the line is all that matters and you get to spend the evening with like-minded friends in the yacht club reliving all the fun adds to the richness of the event.
Our 2012 J/105 Euro Cup was designed to attract boats from as far afield as possible and, by combining trophies for the results from the Round the Island race on the preceding weekend with the round the cans weekend in Yarmouth, we hoped to tempt as many of the offshore sailers to pause in the solent long enough to join the racing and revelries. Whilst we are moving forwards, our hopes were somewhat dampened by the weather and we will be seeking to continue to build participation in our class events in 2013.In the event we had seven very evenly matched boats with 3 different race winners in the 5 race series. Local knowledge is a valuable asset in the western Solent, and JELLY BABY and KING LOUIE made the most of their familiarity with the area ensuring that the regatta out-come was undecided until the end of the last race when even their triumph from Round the Island race was not sufficient for JELLY BABY to stop KING LOUIE winning over all. Sailing remarkably well in the challenging conditions was NEILSON REDEYE, taking third on the podium.
As well as the trophies and keepers, the top 3 boats took home generous vouchers from Ultimate Sails for embroidered crew kit, that will undoubtedly be a dramatic feature of future racing in the Western Solent.
The weather ranged from 22 knots of wind and horizontal rain to a glorious 10 knots of champagne sailing in bright sunshine. Maybe next year there will be more of the latter, but nothing seemed to dampen the enthusiasm of the entire fleet or at least that seemed to be clear as the evening progressed and the Royal Solent Yacht Club treated us to a meal in their wonderful new club house followed by dancing to a great band late into the night.
As boats made their farewells on Sunday afternoon, hoping that Andy Murray would be champion by the time we docked back at base, everyone agreed that there is no boat comparable to the J/105 to sail and that as well as being great sailors our class is full of generous people that love to compete on the water and enjoy themselves ashore.
Special thanks to Malcolm and Bembridge Harbour and Ultimate Sails for their support and Jeremy and the rest of the team from Royal Solent Yacht Club for hosting us, to William for being brave enough to clean the trophy after all these years and to the youngsters who will no doubt continue the fine J/105 traditions and write their own stories in years to come." For more J/105 EuroCup sailing information
J/145 Sailing Vic-Maui Race(Victoria, BC, Canada)- Since DOUBLE TAKE arrived in Seattle around the first of the year, the boat and crew have been on a path sailing toward the the start of this year’s Vic-Maui Race. The boat got put back together after its truck trip north from San Diego and got out on the water a couple of times during January and February. In March, DOUBLE TAKE sailed in all three of the Center Sound Series races. The spring has brought more racing with the Tri-Island races and Swiftsure. For Tri-Island Series, DOUBLE TAKE finished first in her class and fourth over-all. The crew posted a third in the Flattery Unlimited Class at Swiftsure.
DOUBLE TAKE sails for the Seattle Yacht Club and is skippered by Tom Huseby. DT is Tom's second J/145, the first of which, JEITO, sailed in the 2002 Vic-Maui. DT is crewed by four returning JEITO vets, Tom, Brad Baker, Tim Larson and John Austin. Brad is the navigator and is competing in his ninth Vic-Maui. Joining the four vets this year are Ryan Helling, on his second Vic-Maui and three race newcomers; Jay Sharkey, ocean racer extraordinaire, Tom's youngest son, Max; and Tom's nephew, Nat Smith.
The race has start and you can follow their progress and live blog on their sail across the Pacific to Hawaii. Here's their initial blog entry-- fun reading. "With the first day under our belt, we are staring to settle into the routine and get our sea legs. After the months of preparation it is nice to be finally underway doing the race. Currently we are off the Oregon Coast at about the same latitude as Portland Oregon. We are about 70 miles off the coast and heading just west of due south, running under spinnaker at over 10 knots in close to 20 knots of wind. Life is good.
Here's the race recap so far. Yesterday morning we were the first to leave the dock and head out to the race course. I was feeling very confident that we were well prepared and good to go. Well, best laid plans of mice and men an all that. As we motored out I turned on the water maker. No water! WTF? I couldn’t believe it! I have been testing the water maker and making sure it was ready to go. In the end Jay and I got it going again. I still don’t know exactly what went wrong, but we were able to re-prime the system and make water. So far it has been making water flawlessly (touch wood).The start itself was in a very light Southerly. We had a good head of steam across the line and there is a very good chance we were the first to cross. As we sailed towards race passage the wind did build and shift to a more westerly as I expected. We lead the fleet heading through race passage. Up the beat we quickly put on a healthy lead over our competitors only to have it cut down to near nothing by Terramoto as they found a bit more pressure in the middle as we went to the right. Later up the beat it was our turn as Terramoto sailed to close to shore and got on the wrong side of a shift giving us Healthy lead back. By the time we rounded Duntz rock we could barely see other boats. For the trip out the strait we saw winds ranging from near nothing all the way up to 20 knots. We cycled through the Lt. #1, #2 and #3. Sail changes went very smoothly. We have a good bunch of guys sailing the boat.
Once out in the big ocean things got interesting. The wind died and turned out of the Southwest. This made for lumpy uncomfortable sailing and a few of the crew got squishy (Ryan decided to feed the fish). Not to worry as everyone is doing well now. Sailing in the light air was frustrating. Kinetic who opted to sail further offshore hooked into some wind and actually sailed right up to our position. I suspect at one point they were first boat overall. Terramoto must of gotten caught in a hole because when I checked their position they were 8 miles dead astern. In the light conditions near Flattery we also managed to catch some kelp on the keel and had to do a backing down maneuver. I hate it when that happens!
The pain of escaping the flattery suck-hole eventually did end. We managed to get South and the wind slowly build. During our 10pm to 2am watch we hoisted the code zero spinnaker which was the perfect sail for the light air tight reaching. Just after the other watch came on we made the call to switch to the 1A spinnaker. Then at the next watch change we went to the work horse 2A. We have had a very nice day of sailing with winds mostly in the teens but occasionally reaching the low 20′s. I currently hold the top speed record at 19.3 knots. Hopefully that record will be broken soon!!
You may wonder who is on what watch. The "Red Team" is skipper Tom, Jay, Ryan & Nat. The Blue team is yours truly Brad along with Tim, John and Max.
I’m sure many of you back on dry land have been watching the race tracker. This time around we are allowed to look at it as well. I’ve downloaded the positions 3 times today. It’s becoming very apparent that in these conditions Terramoto has pace and are going to be extremely hard to beat boat for boat let alone corrected in these downwind sailing conditions. It’s a long race and there are a few navigational hazards along the way. All we can do is sail the boat hard make good decisions, navigationally speaking, and let the chips fall where they may." For more J/145 DOUBLE TAKE blog reading For more Vic-Maui sailing and tracking information
Halifax St Pierre Ocean Race Update(Halifax, Nova Scotia)- The Halifax-Saint-Pierre race 2012 is a world class ocean race held every two years (opposite the Marblehead - Halifax race) from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Saint-Pierre, France off of the beautiful coastal Newfoundland. The Halifax-St Pierre Race attracts yachts from Canada, United States and France, sailors enjoy the challenge presented by sailing 350nm across the cold waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, the Cabot Straits towards the French islands of St.Pierre and Miquelon.
The race continues to foster the close relationship between eastern Canada and the French islands, and the great social and economic relations between the two countries and maritime people everywhere. The race brings together sailors from many historic maritime regions who sail over a demanding course and end up at a destination extraordinaire - St.Pierre et Miquelon. There the fleet gets to enjoy a "Touch of France" and all the cultural, gastronomical and social delights that are part of French hospitality. As the "chamber of commerce" description says, “Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, is really a French Homeland 25km from Newfoundland. The French flag flies high and the people speak with an authentic French accent. The “Gendarmes” stand tall over De Gaulle’s square with their signature “Kepi”. But “The rock” as named by the islanders has a character all its own.”Looking forward to enjoying classic Gaelic hospitality at the end of their blast across part of the cool North Atlantic Ocean are the J/133 BELLA J sailed by Raymond Rhinelander in the IRC Class and the J/35 HARRIER skippered by Evan Petley-Jones in PHRF Class. At midweek, both boats on the tracker appeared to be winning their respective classes on handicap-time. Good luck and hope both crews continue to sail fast! For more Halifax to St Pierre sailing information
J/Community
What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide
* Ken Read's PUMA Mar Mostro Wins Volvo Inshore Title! A PUMA team decked out in Irish rugby shirts rounded off the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 in style on Saturday, securing victory in the In-Port Race series with a win on the waters of Galway on a day that saw Franck Cammas's GROUPAMA celebrate the overall win in the Volvo Ocean Race.Ken Read's team scored a commanding first place in the Discover Ireland In-Port Race, their ninth podium finish of the 10-race inshore series and a first victory. An electrifying scrap for second between CAMPER and Groupama saw the two teams virtually inseparable right to the end of the 8.2-nautical mile course with Chris Nicholson's team stealing the runners-up prize on the day, and in the series as a whole.
Driven to score their first in-port win, there was no stopping Kenny and the PUMA gang as a flawless performance saw them extend their lead at the first mark, holding on to take the win around the 8.2 nautical mile course by one minute and 19 seconds and secure the overall in-port title. “It tastes very sweet,” said Ken Read who punched the air in delight as he steered Mar Mostro over the finish line. “To race against the best offshore sailors in the world and come out on top is all we can ask for.”
Thank goodness all that practice winning five J/24 Worlds paid off over the course of time! Congratulations to Ken, the Puma Team and Kimo Worthington for job well-done! Time to retire and go for a cruise to Cuttyhunk and Canada with Kathy and Tory for a bit of R&R and family time. Next up? Ken is going sailing on the Chicago-Mackinac Race on his first Volvo 70- Puma il Mostro (a bit of a "busman's holiday", eh?)! No rest for the weary.
The J Cruising Community
J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/
* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"
* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).
- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).
- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".
- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA)
, then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever- http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/
Featured Boat
J/122 GAMBLER For SaleGAMBLER is a 2008 J/122 that is ready to continue winning races, or go cruising! If you are looking for a 40' dual purpose sailboat, GAMBLER can do it all! There are very few J/122's with the winning pedigree that GAMBLER has and even fewer with the 3 cabin layout. GAMBLER has been optimized for racing with top notch bottom and foil preparation, she's a past J/122 North American Champion. The sail inventory is all North and includes NEW 3Di sails!
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